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Buying and Selling Coins: The 2026 Guide
eBay, Whatnot, Instagram and Facebook: what actually works in 2026
123 pages and 37 chapters. Every number has a source. Where the hobby's "facts" turn out to be wrong, the guide says so and shows why.
Guide last revised · first published August 2026
The short answer
Does a PCGS coin sell for more than the same coin in an NGC slab? On common-date, mid-grade coins, not reliably. Across 579 matched sold sales, the median gap between PCGS and NGC was under 5%, and PCGS sold higher on half of the eight coins. ICG slabs of classic Morgan dollars sold about a quarter lower. A CAC sticker moved the price more than the slab brand did. The Grader Comparison Chart that ships with Buying and Selling Coins: The 2026 Guide, published by Coastal Directory LLC, prints every one of those figures with its sale count.
Buying and Selling Coins: The 2026 Guide
123 pages, plus five buyer-only extras listed below.
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The Collx Collector's Set
All three 2026 guides, Coins, Cards and Comics, each with its extras bundle.
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Does PCGS sell for more than NGC?
Same coin, same date, same grade, sold prices only. PCGS in a plain slab is the baseline.
| Slab | Price vs a plain PCGS slab | What it rests on |
|---|---|---|
| NGC | About the same. Median gap under 5%; PCGS higher on 4 of 8 coins | 579 sales (295 PCGS, 284 NGC) across 8 coins |
| ANACS | About the same, −6% to +12% | Up to 5 sales per coin, thin |
| ICG | −26% to −27% on classic Morgans; about level on modern bullion and generic gold | 11 sales per Morgan |
| CACG | At or above plain PCGS in 5 of 5 groups | 10 sales, direction only, no rate |
| CAC sticker (on PCGS/NGC) | Median +41%, range −31% to +126% | 20 matched GreatCollections pairs |
This covers common-date, mid-grade coins sold at retail. It says nothing about key dates or registry-grade coins.
Method: sold prices from 130point.com (eBay including accepted Best Offers, plus Heritage and other auction venues), trailing ~14 months to 3 September 2026. Strict medians; sales under 30% of the raw median dropped. Toned, prooflike, CAC-stickered and old-holder coins excluded from both sides. CAC pairs captured from GreatCollections on 3 September 2026.
What do people get wrong about selling coins online?
Several widely held beliefs died during the research for this guide. These three cost people real money.
What people say
"You have a month to inspect a coin you bought on eBay."
What's actually true
On a no-returns listing, as of May 2026, you have three days. Chapter 5.
What people say
"eBay authenticates coins over $500."
What's actually true
It doesn't. Coins are not in the Authenticity Guarantee programme at all. Chapter 4.
What people say
"The $600 IRS rule means I have to report every sale."
What's actually true
Repealed. Chapter 14 covers what actually applies now.
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12 things to check before you pay for a coin, how PCGS and NGC grades read, and 8 copy-paste AI prompts. It opens the moment you press the button.
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Who is this coin guide for?
The dealer at the show knows the Greysheet bid. The walk-in with grandpa's collection doesn't. The counterfeiter knows which key dates Americans overpay for. The buyer scrolling Instagram at 11pm doesn't.
This guide moves you to the informed side of the table.
Maybe you inherited a cigar box of Morgans. Maybe it's midnight on a Whatnot stream, thumb over the bid button, and you're wondering whether the guy running it is making real money. He might be. The math is in Chapter 8.
What does the 2026 coin guide cover?
37 chapters in six parts.
Part I · chapters 1–4
The Market
The state of the hobby, grading as the language of value, what a coin is actually worth, and spotting counterfeits, fake slabs and problem coins.
Part II · chapters 5–11
The Platforms
eBay, Whatnot, Instagram and Facebook, first as a buyer and then as a seller, with current fees and policies. Ends on building your own stack.
Part III · chapters 12–21
The Craft
Getting paid without getting burned, shipping, taxes and insurance, entities and deductions, photography, customer service, consignment, opsec, sourcing.
Part IV · chapters 22–27
The Series Playbooks
Morgan and Peace dollars, Lincoln cents, the silver minors, Buffalo and Jefferson nickels, classic US gold, and moderns.
Part V · chapters 28–31
Applied
Errors and cherrypicking, the bullion-or-numismatic call that sets your price, the estate collection playbook, and six deals worked start to finish with the arithmetic shown.
Part VI · chapters 32–37
The Offline Playbook
The local coin shop, working a show bourse, flea markets and estate sales, bulk buying math, pawn shops and odd channels, and the offline operator's kit.
Plus nine appendices: printable checklists, listing templates, dispute scripts, fee tables, a 90-day plan, a glossary and the full source list.
What comes with the guide?
Five buyer-only extras that aren't sold anywhere else.
Buyer's benefit · not sold separately
The 2026 extras bundle
Included with the guide. The Addendum is reissued every quarter and lands on your download page free, for as long as you own the book.
Grader Comparison Chart
PCGS · NGC · CACG · ANACS · ICG, and what the CAC sticker actually means. The first reproducible figure for the PCGS premium.
Dealer Buy-Rate Sheet
What a dealer will actually pay, as a percentage of melt, bid or retail. It still works when spot moves.
Buyer's Toolkit
Printable. You set your budget and walk-away rules before you leave for the show.
Quarterly Market Addendum
Q4 2026 issue included. The Guide teaches the method, and this keeps the numbers current.
Scorecard Workbook
A grading break-even calculator and twelve monthly tabs to track what you buy and sell.
Questions people ask before buying
How much is the 2026 coins guide?
$26.99 on its own, or $49.99 for the Collx Collector's Set, which adds the Cards and Comics guides and their extras bundles. Keep the free newsletter box checked when you buy and it's $16.99 or $29.99.
Is this a price guide?
No. Price guides go stale within a quarter. This one teaches you to find the current number yourself, and the Quarterly Market Addendum keeps its figures fresh.
Does a PCGS coin sell for more than an NGC coin?
Not reliably on common-date, mid-grade coins. Across 579 matched sold sales the median gap was under 5%, and PCGS sold higher on four of eight coins. The Grader Comparison Chart that comes with the guide shows every coin, grade and sale count.
Does eBay authenticate coins?
No. Coins are not part of eBay's Authenticity Guarantee programme, whatever the sale price. Chapter 4 covers what that means for you as a buyer.
I inherited a collection and just want to sell it. Is this useful?
That's one of the cases it was written for. Chapter 30 is the estate collection playbook, and Part III covers getting paid and shipping safely.
What format is it, and how do I get it?
PDF, downloadable the moment you pay. Readable on a phone at the shop counter.
What happens when the 2027 edition comes out?
You get it free, on the same download page. The quarterly addendums land there too, and the Q4 2026 issue is already up.
Can I get a refund?
Yes. You have 7 days, no questions asked. Email hello@coastaldirectoryllc.com within 7 days of purchase.
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Buying and Selling Coins
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First published August 2026 · revised 2026-09-05 · Coastal Directory LLC, publisher of CoinsNearMe.co